Using your mobile phone to capture great firework photographs

Over the last couple of years, the quality of camera phones has improved year on year and today’s mobile phone camera’s are as good, if not better than most standard digital camera’s which are above a couple of years old.

The improvements in the phone camera’s and the available apps mean that you are able to take some really good quality images using special features never before seen on a phone camera.

In order to take the best pictures of fireworks, there are one or two tips to help you to achieve some stunning pictures and here are a few of our suggestions:

• Choose a location which gives the best vantage point for the fireworks but still maintaining a realistic view of surrounding buildings, structures or expanses of water as they enhance the effects and give depth and scale to images taken.

• Either find a place to ensure you or the camera can be held completely still (like against a tree or vehicle) or invest in a tripod. This will help to avoid blurring and blobs on your images.

• Turn off the flash – not needed as you will have enough light in the image itself.

• Ensure that you have cleared as much memory space as possible. You know the ones: blurred pics of the lads night, the one of your dog smiling (no, he was grimacing) or last week’s Sunday roast – you really don’t want to be running out of memory space just as you are going to take pictures of the finale.

• Get the ‘slow shutter cam app’. This allows control of the shutter speed. The recommended setting for fireworks is 5-30 but try a few variations – you may get some odd results but at least you will be getting some practice in.

• Get the ‘fast camera app’. This will enable the camera on the phone to take up to 800 shots per minute instead of having to wait between shots. You may have 799 rubbish images but it’s that one perfect picture you are aiming for.

• Start off shooting in portrait mode for the single bursts changing to landscape for the finale where the sky will be full of bursts.